Aryna Sabalenka‘s Asian swing has gotten off to a disappointing start. She suffered an unexpected 6-4, 6-3 defeat to 20-year-old Nikola Bartunkova in the Round of 32 at the China Open. It was quite a frustrating match for the Belarusian as she got outclassed by the young Czech. With the match slipping out of her grasp, Sabalenka unsurprisingly smashed her racket on the court multiple times. Though this behavior isn’t anything new, many fans still criticized her for not keeping a check on her emotions.

The incident took place in the second set, with Bartunkova leading the match 6-4, 2-1. Having suffered an early break of serve, Sabalenka’s patience gave way after Bartunkova won the first two points of the third game. The World No. 2 smashed her racket on the surface twice. While the racket didn’t shatter into pieces, it did get a little damaged.

Sabalenka only won two of the next six games as Bartunkova racked up one of the biggest victories of her career. The Czech had come close to defeating Sabalenka earlier in the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open, but eventually slumped to a 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 defeat.

Serve was one of Bartunkova’s strongest weapons during the match. She saved the five break points Sabalenka created and gained three breaks of her own. The Czech began the match by gaining a break over Sabalenka and finished the encounter with another break.

This was just Bartunkova’s second victory over a top-10 opponent. She had previously defeated World No. 10 Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Australian Open earlier this year. This also marks only the second time Bartunkova has reached the Round of 16 in a Masters 1000 event. She reached the same stage at the Italian Open earlier this year, but was knocked out by eventual champion Elina Svitolina.

For Sabalenka, this is a defeat that will sting for some time. With Elena Rybakina getting eliminated in the first round of the China Open, the Belarusian had a chance to close the points gap in the rankings by making a deep run or winning the tournament. But she has let that opportunity slip from her fingers.

The last few weeks have been tough for Sabalenka, as not only did she get dethroned in the rankings by Rybakina, but she also missed out on completing a three-peat at the US Open after losing the final. Not to mention that she was also handed a $7,500 fine by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for her unsportsmanlike behavior after the final, where she shredded her racket to pieces.

So, it’s not a surprise that fans were enraged to see Sabalenka continue with her aggressive attitude and smash another one of her rackets. They didn’t hesitate to express their disappointment on social media platforms.

Fans call out Aryna Sabalenka for her on-court behavior at the China Open

A fan stated that Sabalenka simply can’t handle losing. “Sabalenka is such a sore loser,” a user wrote on X.

Another fan expressed a similar sentiment, but the criticism was even harsher. “She is a sore loser, immature, and Unprofessional!”

There was a fan who pointed out Sabalenka’s weakness and stated that she needs favorable conditions to win. “She can’t win when it’s windy,” a post on X read.

A fan also expressed concern regarding Sabalenka’s mental health. “Thankfully this season will be over soon, she is completely cooked mentally.”

Finally, a fan felt that it’s better for Sabalenka to retire rather than continue playing mediocre tennis. “Sabalenka is done – she should retire!”

Having not participated in the China Open last year, Sabalenka won’t be losing any points due to her early exit against Bartunkova. But she will lose a lot of them if her dismal form continues in Wuhan as well. Notably, Sabalenka reached the semifinals of the tournament last year and will have a massive number of points to defend.